


Ghost Adventures: Halden Mansion

by GhostAdventuresfan09



Series: Ghost Adventures [1]
Category: Ghost Adventures (TV), Ghost Adventures RPF
Genre: Adventure, Deadly Shadows, F/M, Gen, Ghost Hunting, Haunted Houses, Haunting, Hearing Voices, Paranormal, Platonic Female/Male Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 19:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10703610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostAdventuresfan09/pseuds/GhostAdventuresfan09
Summary: The Ghost Adventures Crew investigates a small town hotel haunted by the lost souls from the past.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> The Ghost Adventures show is owned by the Travel Channel and the Crew members: Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin own themselves.
> 
> This fanfiction isn't a real story, but the Ghost Adventures Crew are real people.
> 
> The song Johanna is copyrighted to Bobby Mackey.  
> \-----

Before the Lockdown…

This was it, my chance to join Zak, Nick and Aaron on a lockdown. I won the Travel Channel Contest for "Most Intense Fan Lockdown" by filming myself doing an investigation of my own home. Since I have been watching the show for almost a year, I knew everything from the equipment they used to how they provoked the spirits. The Travel Channel sent me the Crew's location a few weeks after the contest. The selected location was several hours away from my hometown, but it would be worth it to finally meet them. Early in morning on my highly anticipated day, I packed my things, got onboard a Trailways bus and headed off.

I was finally off onto my own Ghost Adventures.

\------


	2. Walkthough Part 1

_ Ghost Adventures Title sequence _   
  
_My name is Zak Bagans. I've never believed in ghosts until I came face to face with one._   
_So I set out  on a quest to capture what I once saw onto video...._   
_With no big camera crews following us around, I am joined only by my fellow investigator Nick Groff and our equipment tech Aaron Goodwin._   
_The three of us will travel to some of the most highly active paranormal locations, where we will spend an entire night, being locked down from dusk until dawn...._

_Raw..._  
 _Extreme..._  
 _These are our Ghost Adventures._  
  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Halden Mansion, NY  
  
Walkthrough Part 1  
  
Zak was being filmed, ready to introduce their location.  
"In the outskirts of Rochester, New York lays the Halden Mansion. What was a residential home has now become a small hotel for visiting tourists, and some have claimed to have paranormal experiences from unexpected guests…"  
  
Built in the late 1800's, it was the home of Walter Halden who wanted to provide a house for his wife, Marci and their daughter, Emma in the early 1920's.   
But tragic events led to trapped souls amongst the property.  
Guests and staff of the Mansion claimed to see full-body apparitions, hear voices and touched by unseen forces.  
  
Tonight, we will be locked down inside to investigate these claims, and we have invited our Contest winner, Aura Gibbons, to join in on our lockdown."  
\----  
(Aura's POV)  
Finally, I saw the white minivan with GAC symbols in the gravel driveway, waiting patiently as Nick and Aaron filmed Zak. Once they finished the shot, they walked across the grassy lawn to greet me.  
  
"Hi, there. You're our Contest winner?"  
  
"Yep, I am."  
  
I shook Zak's firm hand and greeted Aaron, then Nick who suspended a camera on his shoulder.  
"Hi." he said softly, I gave him a small smile.  
  
"Okay, now we're gonna interview a few witnesses and walkthrough the Mansion to prepare for our lockdown. You ready?" Zak asked me.  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm ready." I replied excitedly.  
  
"All right, let's go."  
  
As we walked towards the 3-story Mansion , Zak sat next to their first witness.  
Nick and Aaron stood on opposite ends of the porch to film the interview.  
\---  
  
"This is Ryan Wilson, a local historian.  
So, Ryan, what can you tell us about this place?"  
  
"Well, the first tragedy of this Mansion was back in the early 1920's when the Halden family was sleeping late on one night. Faulty wiring the original renovations sparked a house fire and sadly, Emma Halden was in the top floor bedroom so she couldn't escape."  
  
"So she perished in the fire…"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"How old was she?"  
  
"She was about 8 years old that night."  
  
Zak shook his head in disbelief, Ryan continued.  
  
"The house stood untouched for decades until the 1980's when it was being rebuilt as the hotel we see today. The second tragedy on the property was an accidental death of a worker as they fixed the building.  
A worker was tending to a light fixture on third floor above the staircase, when he got shocked so strongly that he fell off his ladder over the railing and died when he landed on the stairs below."  
\----  
  
The next interview they did was Christine Thomas, the Property Manager. They sat beside the front desk.  
  
"I've had guests come up to me and tell they've seen shadow people, heard crying and felt sadness in certain areas of the building. I've felt something lightly tap my shoulder and sometimes our fax machine would make a noise even when unplugged. Also, a guest staying in Emma's old room was woken up in the middle of the night.  
  
They spoke with said guest, Addison Murray.  
  
"As I slept in my bed around 3:00 am, I heard footsteps and giggling. Sat up and looked around, no one was there."  
  
(Aura's POV)   
As Zak spoke with Addison, I suddenly heard a voice in the other room. We were all in one room, so no one else was present. Not wanting to disrupt the interview, I kept it to myself.  
  
Donna Boyle was the next witness that Zak spoke to, but as they got ready with the cameras. One of the camera's lights suddenly turned off.  
  
"What happened, Aaron?" Zak asked.  
  
"It just shut off and I put a brand new battery in it."  
  
(Aura's POV)  
As they fixed the camera, I decided to speak up.  
  
Zak, I actually heard a voice earlier."  
  
"Really, why didn't you tell us?"  
  
I was apprehensive on how Zak would react to my answer, but I had to say something.  
  
"I'm sorry, I just…didn't want to disturb the interview."  
  
His tone was gentle, but firm.  
  
"Oh, that's all right but next time that happens, please tell us."  
  
"I will."  
  
Slightly embarrassed by my own fault, I knew that I had to be part of the team.  
  
"Sorry about that, Donna. What sort of experiences did you have?" Zak asked.  
  
"Whenever I passed Emma's old room, I would see toys rearranged."  
  
"Looks like this room is a hot spot."  Aaron laughed behind the camera.  
  
"You want to stay up here and find out?" Zak asked with a devious smirk.  
  
"Dude," he replied "I've had too many freaky things happen."  
  
I chuckled under my breath.  
  
"Yeah, come on Zak. Why can't someone else do it?" I suggested, he gave me a look of curiosity.  
  
"You want to be in here tonight by yourself?"  
  
Surprised by his request, my heart slightly raced with excitement.  
  
"Sure, if it will help you guys." I replied.  
  
"All right, Aaron. You're off the hook this time, but we'll give you a place to be alone later." Zak laughed as Aaron cussed behind him.  
  
I pressed my clenched fist into my face, fighting the burst of laughter.  
  
"Aaron, we do have a guest with us…" Zak pointed out his "colorful" use of language.  
  
"Sorry about that-"  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it. I've heard worse things in my high school." I assured them that some minor language wouldn't bother me.  
  
"Let's a set an X here. Aaron, I'll take your camera."  
  
Handing over his camera to Zak, he ripped some duct tape and placed an X beside the bed shooting the whole room.  
  
"Aaron," I asked.  
  
"What's up?' he replied.  
  
"Maybe we should set another X in the hallway, we might get some activity out there, too."  
  
"That's a good idea." Aaron stripped off another piece of duct tape and formed an X shooting down the hallway.  
  
As we left the room, Zak gently patted my shoulder. I guess he liked the idea, too.  
  
\-----


	3. Walkthrough Part 2

Walkthrough Part 2

We later spoke again with Christine to talk about the other accounts of activity.  
  
She showed us the basement, but nervousness surged through my legs as we walked down the sturdy wooden stairs.  
  
"You all right?" Nick asked behind me.  
  
"Yeah, I just don't like basements too much. Not that I'm afraid of spiders or anything, just very unsettling." I replied with slight discomfort in my voice.  
  
Finally, we reached the bottom and caught up with Zak and Addison being filmed by Aaron.  
  
"Down here, I've had maintenance workers report to me that they heard scratching noises and voices. Even when there's only one worker in here, they had the overwhelming feeling that they were being watched. Now, it's rare for a single worker to be down here."  
  
"Being watched by ghosts, that's gonna be good for us. They'll want to see what we're doing and maybe give us a sign that they're here."  
  
Immediately after that, we were interrupted by a high pitch buzz from Nick's camera.  
  
"What was that?" I asked.  
  
They reviewed the camera's audio, we caught an EVP or Ghost voice of what sounded like a man saying…  
  
"Get out."  
  
"Whoa." I said softly  
  
"Get out. That's what it said." Zak's tone turned serious as he walked around.  
  
"We're gonna be locked down in this place tonight so we won't be able to get out. You'll have to harm us to make us leave."  
  
(Aura's POV)  
Zak's provoking frightened me a bit, what will the spirits do to us?  
  
\-------------  
We went up to the second floor and interviewed Noah Thompson, our last witness before the lockdown.  
  
"I was taking pictures nearby the bedroom doorway here, and I caught something of what looks an orb."  
  
He handed over the photograph to Zak.  
  
A strange ball of light was hovering beside the door.  
  
"Wow. In photos, orbs can often be debunked as dust or bugs. But this one…this is neither of those things."  
  
Aaron set up another X in the hallway to shoot the entire room.  
  
As we walked away, I jumped in surprise.  
  
"Whoa."  
  
"What happened?" Zak asked.  
  
"I felt something brush the back of my head."  
  
No one was behind me and I didn't bump into anything.  
  
"Who's there?" Zak spoke down the hall.  
  
With no response, we continued to walk down the staircase.  
  
"We still have some daylight before our lockdown, so let's go get our gear." Zak suggested.


	4. Set up for Lockdown

Set up for Lockdown

With dusk only minutes away, I watched Aaron set the Exterior Nightvision Camera out on the lawn shooting the outside of the Mansion.  
  
Grabbing a heavy black case of camera gear, I walked up the steps and stood near the door as Nick filmed Zak talking with Christine.  
  
"All right, Christine. So you're gonna lock us inside the Mansion, then let us out at 6:30 am."  
  
"Yep, I'll be here."  
  
"Let's hit it." I lifted up the case and knuckle-pounded Christine.  
  
Walking inside to the front desk, I set down the case and watched as Nick and Aaron stepped inside. As I heard the door lock, it hit me that this is the real deal.  
  
"All right, guys. Let's set up our base in the Manager's office and assemble everything."  
We followed Zak down the hallway and once we had all the gear ready to go, we just chilled around the desk. Zak sat in the desk chair, Aaron settled on a wooden chair nearby and Nick sat beside me on the bench.  
  
"Okay, since we have a while before it's completely dark…Aura, why don't we try to get to know you more?" Zak asked.  
  
"Sure, ask away." I replied.  
  
"What inspired you to join us on this lockdown?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I finally got my chance to meet you guys and I'm very happy about that.  
You guys really helped me to understand the paranormal.  
I've actually had ghostly experiences, like hearing footsteps while everyone was asleep."  
  
Zak nodded, intrigued.  
  
"It's freaky stuff." Aaron joked.  
  
I chuckled with them, brushed a lock of my blonde hair away from my face.  
  
"There is one other thing I wanted you guys to know that makes me different from the other fans you meet."  
  
"What's that?" Zak asked.  
  
"I was born 3 months early, weighing about less than 2 pounds. Big enough to fit in the palm of your hand." The guys shared expressions of surprise and amazement.  
  
"Wow" Zak said.  
  
"That's amazing." Nick smiled.  
  
"Definitely something we don't hear everyday." Aaron replied.  
  
"-or night, for that matter." I added.  
  
"Yeah." All three of them cackled.  
  
Pushing my oval glasses back over my light green eyes, I saw dusk getting darker and darker with each passing minute.  
  
"I can't believe I'm actually gonna do this."  
  
"The real lockdown is risky, I would advise that you stay with at least one of us. Also, if you ever need anything, just call us and we'll come to you." Zak told me.  
  
"Not a problem." I replied.  
  
"Now that it's dark outside, we should call out the Xs where to place our Static Nightvision Cameras."   
  
Zak used a pen as a pointer to a paper map to indicate the location.  
  
"First X: Emma's old room.  
This is where several witnesses had paranormal accounts.  
Addison heard footsteps, giggling and Donna saw toys being rearranged."  
  
Pointed to the next,  
  
"Next X: The hallway outside Emma's old room.  
More accounts of voices and footsteps."  
  
"Next X: The Basement  
We got an EVP of a man telling us to 'Get out'. Maintenance workers also reported hearing scratching, voices and feel someone watching them."  
  
"It's a creepy place." I added.  
  
Zak chuckled and stood up, then a question suddenly came to my mind,  
  
"Do we ever sleep during the lockdown?"  
  
"No, actually we don't." he replied.  
  
I nodded.  
  
"But don't worry, we'll help you stay awake with us." he assured me.  
  
"Aaron, let's gear up." He handed Zak a Nightvision Camera as he filled his black vest with small pieces of equipment.  
  
Nick and I got a Camera and set to Nightvision.  
  
"Okay, lights off. Let's start the lockdown."  
  
Zak turned off everything and all we could see was the glowing LCD screens on our cameras.  
  
Excitement and anticipation surged through me, I still couldn't believe I was actually joining an investigation with my favorite Ghost crew.  
\----------


	5. Lockdown Part 1

Lockdown Part 1  
  
I filmed Zak and Nick walking down the hall.  
  
"Remember, no flashlights. Only in emergencies."  
  
Zak's tone turned serious,  
  
"I'd like to introduce ourselves to you. My name is Zak, I've got Nick, Aaron and Aura with me. We're locked inside this place and can't get out, we hope you'll make contact with us."  
  
"It's really dark in here." I whispered.  
  
"In fact, Aaron, could you turn off Nightvision for a second?" Zak asked.  
  
He clicked off the Nightvision and Zak's voice pierced the darkness.  
  
"That's how dark it is in here, we only see with these LCD screens."  
  
Returning to Nightvision, Zak turned to us.  
  
"Okay, uh…Aura, why don't you and Nick set up in Emma's old room?"  
  
(Aura's POV)  
Was he serious? Letting me spend time with my favorite crew member.  
  
"Sure, let's go."  
  
I viewed the staircase in my camera, carefully watching my step. Nick was right behind me carrying a Static Nightvision Camera.  
  
Zak and Aaron carried on with finding the other Xs.  
  
As we approached the bedroom, I sat on the bed. Nick stood nearby to briefly speak to me.  
  
"Okay, Aura. I set the camera on a tripod to film you. Here's a Digital Recorder and EMF Detector."  
  
He handed me the devices in my hands as he quickly used a flashlight.  
  
"I'm gonna set up another X camera in the hallway, so if you need me, just yell." he assured.  
  
"Got it." I nodded.  
  
"Feel free to ask questions." he added as he left the room.  
  
A slight feeling of nervousness surged through me, but I decided to proceed.  
  
"Emma, are you in here?"  
  
I heard nothing, but kept talking.  
  
"Are you trapped here?"  
  
At that moment, my Digital Recorder caught an EVP of a child saying…  
  
"Help."  
  
As I sat on the bed, my Static Nightvision Camera caught the sound of footsteps, but no one was up here other than me.  
  
"It's freezing in here." I whispered as I felt the hairs on my arms stand up.  
  
A while later, I heard Nick setting up the camera in the hallway.  
  
I continued to ask questions.  
  
"Emma, would you like to play with the toys in here?"  
  
I paused, then heard a faint child's  laugh as the EMF Detector spiked.  
  
"I got a reading of an 8 and just heard a laughing noise."  
  
At the same time I heard the disembodied laugh, the Static Nightvision Camera caught a ball of light pulsing over a doll I used as a trigger object.  
  
Meanwhile, Zak was investigating the second floor.  
  
"Is there anybody here?"  
  
He paused then asked another question.  
  
"Is there a worker trapped inside this Mansion?"  
  
His camera's audio picked up an EVP of a man.  
  
"Me."  
  
Aaron was by himself on the first floor, filming the staircase.  
  
"Dude, this is nuts. I can't see what's-"  
  
A sudden knock from behind made him jump.  
  
"What the-" He pointed his camera down the hall.  
  
"Something made a loud knock behind me."  
  
Back in Emma's old room, I concluded my EVP session.  
  
"Nick, are you out here?" I asked softly.  
  
"Yep, I'm right here."  
  
With the Static Nightvision Cameras still rolling, we headed back down to the first floor. Once we regrouped, Zak organized another plan.  
  
"Nick, you and I will investigate the old Dining room. Aaron, you do the third floor and Aura, you try the basement."  
  
I slightly cringed,  
  
"I'm uncomfortable with basements, but I'll do it for you guys."  
  
Reluctantly, I headed down the hall as the guys walked off.  
  
Carefully, I walked down the stairs. The basement was dark, musky and chilly.  
  
"Okay, here I am in the basement."  
  
I slowly walked around a corner and stumbled across a pile of old wooden planks against a stone wall. I noticed something on the wall of what looked like a painting. Carefully, I pulled away the planks and pointed my camera to the wall.  
  
"Oh my gosh, the guys didn't see this during the walkthrough."  
  
What I found was a faded inverted pentagram, which suggests something demonic occurred here.  
  
"It must have been before the hotel was in service."  
  
I was surprised by my finding, feeling as though I just uncovered a piece of lost treasure.  
  
"I can't believe we didn't see this before."  
  
After I said that, my camera's audio caught a voice faintly saying…  
  
"It's not safe…"  
  
As I crouched down and investigated the pentagram, a deep growl from behind caught my attention.  
  
"What was that?" I whispered, scanning the room with my camera. I turned back to the pentagram and noticed my LCD screen froze.  
  
"What the-" A deep and louder growl was in front of me. Looked up and saw something I will never forget.  
  
Screaming in terror, I dropped my camera onto the concrete floor.  
  
Meanwhile, Zak and Nick were quietly talking when they were disrupted by my distant scream.  
  
"Was that Aura?" Nick asked,  
  
"Aura?" Zak called out, no response.  
  
"Aura?" Nick tried, still no response.  
  
"Let's go find her. Go,go,go."   
Nick said as they hurried to the basement.  
\--------


	6. Lockdown Part 2

Lockdown Part 2  
  
Aaron ran down the staircase as Nick and Zak passed by.  
  
"Did you guys hear that scream?!" he yelled and followed them.  
  
"Yeah, it sounded like Aura."  
  
Scooting away until my back hit the stone wall, my heart beat rapidly as I heard running footsteps across the ceiling.  
  
"Aura?!" Zak called out then Nick as they ran down the stairs.  
  
"Aura?!" Nick called again, scanning the room and could hear hysterical crying around the corner.  
  
Finally, I was in their sights.  
  
"Aura!" They ran to my aid.  
  
"What happened?" Zak asked me, but I was so terrified that I couldn't speak. Curled up into a ball, shaking in fear.  
  
Nick knelt beside me and softly spoke,  
  
"It's okay, we're here."  
  
Still shaking and crying, he could sense I was still terrified.  
  
"Zak, we should take her out of here and back to base." Nick suggested,  
  
"Yeah, let's go." Zak agreed.  
  
"Come on, we'll get you out." Nick said softly as he carried me out since I was too scared to even walk.  
  
Zak picked up my camera and shined a flashlight to help Nick see.  
  
"What happened?" Aaron asked.  
  
"Something scared the living hell out of her." Zak replied.  
\----  
Minutes later, Nick gently sat me down on the bench and allowed me to rest on his shoulder.  
  
Zak and Aaron sat around, worried about what happened.  
  
"What did you see?"  
  
I still could barely speak,  
  
"I…saw…"  
  
The horror of what I saw overwhelmed me again.  
  
"It's okay, just relax." Nick whispered as he rubbed my shoulder.  
  
I managed to relax enough to attempt speaking again, my voice trembled as I looked towards them.  
  
"I saw a dark figure standing in front of me and it reached out for my neck."   
  
Zak was stunned, Aaron's jaw dropped in shock.  
  
"Dude."  
  
"I got so scared that I dropped my camera and pushed myself away."  
  
Tears begin to flow from my eyes again, Nick wrapped his arms around mine.  
  
"Guys, why don't you continue the lockdown?" he suggested.  
  
"Are you sure?" Zak asked, concerned for me.  
  
"Yeah, go. I'll take care of her." Nick assured.  
  
Zak lightly cupped my shoulder as he walked out. Aaron patted my back gently and followed him.  
  
Outside in the hallway, Zak spoke softly.  
  
"Oh my God, I never expected that to happen to her."  
  
"Come on, dude. None of us did." Aaron replied.  
  
"I know, but I never intended for her to get that badly scared." Zak added on.  
  
He sighed softly, then continued the lockdown with Aaron.  
  
Meanwhile, Nick was still beside me.  
  
"I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." I said softly, finally my voice was returning to normal.  
  
"It's okay, you're safe now." He hugged softly.  
  
I exhaled a big breath of air.  
  
"Normally, we don't sleep during the lockdown. But I'll come back in an hour to let you rest." he suggested.  
  
"Okay." I nodded.  
  
He gently stood up and guided me to lay down.  
  
"I'll be back, promise."  
  
I nodded and slipped my folded hands under my head. Nick laid his jacket over me and lightly rubbed my shoulder.  
  
"I'll be back." he whispered as he walked out into the hallway.  
  
He later caught up with Zak and Aaron.  
  
"How is she?" Zak asked.  
  
"Resting on the bench. I got her camera so maybe we'll find where she saw the figure." he suggested.  
  
"That's a good idea, Nick." Zak replied.  
  
They rewound the camera's footage to where I entered the basement and watched carefully. They saw when I moved the wooden planks and uncovered the inverted pentagram.  
  
"Whoa, we never saw that." Aaron exclaimed.  
  
They then came across where I heard the deep growl and the screen freezes. The growl returns, a portion of a shadow is seen moving across the top left corner. They heard my terrorizing scream then the camera falls.  
  
"Wow, she was really scared." Zak exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, that must've been intense." Aaron added.  
  
Zak exhaled quickly,  
  
"Let's continue the lockdown, guys."  
  
"I'll stay on this floor in case she needs anything." Nick declared.  
  
"Okay, Aaron and I will check the second and third floor."  
\----  
A while later, Nick returned to base.  
  
He knelt beside the bench and gently shook my shoulder.  
  
"Aura." he whispered.  
  
My eyes flustered open and I sat up.  
  
"How do you feel?" He asked.  
  
"Much better, but I want to go back down there." I declared.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I need to face that dark figure."  
  
"Well, you shouldn't go alone. I'll accompany you." he suggested.  
  
I nodded and grabbed my camera, we walked down the wooden stairs. Nick stood at the bottom as I walked through the room.  
  
"I'm back again, I'll admit that you scared me pretty good, but I decided to face you.  
  
Nick watched in concern.  
  
"I won't run from you."  
  
I kept walking through the room, but got no further response.  
  
Walking back to the stairs, Nick gently palmed my back as we regrouped in front of the base.  
\------


	7. Lockdown Part 3

Lockdown Part 3  
  
"Aura, you alright?" Zak asked.  
  
"Yep, I'm good. I still want to continue the lockdown."  
  
Still holding concern from what happened earlier in the lockdown, he suggested a solution.  
  
"You should use this…"  
  
He reached into his shoulder bag and extracted a white bottle.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Holy anointing oil. Our friend and exorcist, Bishop James Long gave it to us for situations like this."  
  
I was intrigued and knew it would work since I also believed in the Holy Trinity.  
  
He dripped a little in my hand and I rubbed it on my forehead. He passed to Aaron then did the same for himself.  
  
As I moved to pass it to Nick, he began to groan in pain while touching his left shoulder.  
  
"Nick, what's wrong?" I asked.  
  
"Something's burning on my shoulder, I'm getting a bad burning sensation."  
  
Aaron and Zak quickly moved over to see.  
  
"I can't see. Aaron, hand me a flashlight." Zak suggested,  
  
"Where does it burn?" he asked.  
  
"Right on my shoulder." he slipped off his jacket and pulled back his shirt for Zak to see.   
  
He shined a flashlight on his shoulder,  
  
"Oh my God." Zak exclaimed.  
  
"What?" Nick replied.  
  
"Dude, you've got three scratches on your shoulder." Aaron added with shock in his voice.  
  
"What?!"  
  
Nick couldn't see the scratches since it was behind his shoulder, but I got an idea.  
  
"Aaron, you have a digital camera?"  
  
"Yeah, here." He took one out of his vest and handed it to me.  
  
"Hold still, Nick." I told him as I steadied the camera and flashed a picture.  
  
"Got it."   
  
"Let me see it." He asked worriedly.  
  
I handed the camera to him.  
  
"Oh my God, what the-"  
  
"Hold still, we're trying to document this." Zak told him as Aaron and I filmed them.  
  
Aaron took his camera off Nightvision and could see three dark red scratches along Nick's shoulder.  
  
"That's insane, dude."  
  
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  
  
"I didn't bump into anything, I just walked up the stairs and stood still once we got here." Nick said, a bit angry about what happened.  
  
"Who scratched Nick?" Zak yelled.  
  
I was holding his Digital Recorder and realized that we caught a chilling EVP after Zak's question.  
  
"I did…"  
  
I then noticed something on my camera in the corner where Nick was standing, a dark shadow passed through the hall and down to the basement.  
  
It wasn't Zak's shadow because it was cast on the opposite side from where the figure was, Aaron and Nick were behind me and out of my camera's frame.  
  
"Zak, I just saw a dark shadow pass by you."  
  
He turned to me for a second, then we all heard a disembodied voice with our own ears and it was also captured on Zak's Digital Recorder…  
  
"I want the girl…"  
  
"What was that?" I asked quietly.  
  
"Okay, let's just keep going with the lockdown," he checked his watch, " It's 3:45 am so we have a few hours to go before dawn."  
  
We all took a moment to organize a plan,  
  
"Aaron, you and Aura check out the third floor. Nick and I continue will checking the Dining room."  
  
"Okay, let's go." Aaron replied.  
  
Once we reached the third floor, I rolled my Digital Recorder.  
  
"Is there anybody here?" I paused briefly, then asked another question.  
  
"Can you make a noise to show that you're here?" I waited for several seconds until a knock made us both jump.  
  
"Did you hear that knock?"  
  
"Yeah, I did. Dude…"  
\----  
Meanwhile, Zak and Nick were downstairs in the Dining room.  
  
"Ow, my shoulder still burns." Nick said softly,  
  
"Don't say that, we can't let them know they're affecting you." Zak declared.  
\----  
I followed Aaron down the hallway and as we walked towards the staircase, I saw an orb of light hover by the chandelier.  
  
"Did you see that orb? I saw an orb by the staircase."  
  
"No, I didn't see it."  
  
I decided to use on my Digital Recorder by the chandelier,  
  
"Did we just see you?"  
  
I paused and got no response, I asked another question.  
  
"Did you fall while trying to fix this light?"  
  
Aaron and I got no further responses as we investigated that floor, so we left with the Static Nightvision Cameras still rolling.  
  
About 10 minutes after we left, the camera shooting down the hallway beside the staircase caught a white mist forming by the railing.  
\----  
With dawn only a couple of hours away, Zak and I investigated the first floor bedroom.  
  
I used an EMF Detector as Zak asked questions,  
  
"Is there a young girl in here?"  
  
He paused, then I got a spike.  
  
"Zak, it just spiked to a 4."  
  
He continued with his questions, then the temperature dropped in the room to where we could see our breath on camera.  
  
"Is someone here with us?"  
  
I asked, our Digital Recorder caught an EVP of a young child.  
  
"It's only me…"  
  
We continued with our EVP session, but got no further response.  
  
A while later, we regrouped again at base. We all gathered our gear as dawn peeked over the mountains.  
  
"That was something else…" I said softly.  
  
The guys all had groggy looks in their eyes,  
  
"So tired…" Aaron grumbled.  
  
Then we all perked up at the sound of the lock turning over.  
  
"All right." Zak said softly.  
  
"How was your night?" Christine asked.  
  
"Long…very long." Nick replied.  
  
We all felt the chilly, moist air of dawn cloak over our faces as we stepped out of the Mansion.  
  
Aaron walked ahead of us to shut off the Exterior Nightvision camera.  
  
Fatigue began to course through me, but I had running thoughts of excitement in my mind.  
  
"I can't wait to tell everyone this when I get home, I'll bet my boyfriend can't wait to see me." I said happily.  
  
"Boyfriend? Why didn't you tell us before?" Zak asked.  
  
"I was just so excited about the lockdown, that I forgot to say so." I replied and added on as I thought about my hometown.  
  
"We've been together for over two years, so I'll bet he'll want to hear my story."  
  
"Oh, I'll bet he will." Nick replied.  
  
Zak, Nick and Aaron shook Christine's hand and I did the same as we headed to the white minivan.  
  
"I'll go with you guys since I don't need to catch my bus until tomorrow."  
  
"Sure, you can hang with us." Zak replied as Nick pulled out.  
\----  
After a warm breakfast and good long nap, the guys asked me to accompany them when they review the evidence and I accepted.  
  
I would have to let my family and friends know about it, but I will be happy to review our findings.  
\----


	8. Reviewing the Evidence

Reviewing the Evidence  
  
A few weeks after the lockdown, the Crew invited me to meet Debby and Mark Constantino, specialists in EVPs.  
  
We all grouped by their analyst computer that will decipher the EVPs we caught. Aaron and Nick filmed the whole thing.  
  
Zak went first.  
  
"I caught this while investigating the second bedroom in the Halden Mansion."  
  
Debbie listened with her headphones and drowned out the white noise,  
  
"Me. It sounds like Me."  
  
"Yeah, that's what we heard." Zak replied.  
  
I went next.  
  
"This one I caught while down in the basement by myself, looking at the pentagram."  
  
Debby listened close.  
  
"I heard…It's not safe. It also sounds high-pitched like a female or child's voice."  
  
A sudden chill zapped down my spine,  
  
"It must've been Emma Halden, she's the only female spirit in the Mansion."  
  
We all shared expressions of wonder,  
  
"Did Emma warn you about the pentagram?" Zak asked  
  
"That's the only way I can explain it." I turned to Debby to share my experience.  
  
"When I turned back to the pentagram after hearing a deep growl behind me, my camera froze as soon as I saw a dark figure reach for my neck."  
  
Mark reviewed my footage and could see when I caught the dark figure, we also showed them when Nick was scratched on his shoulder.  
  
"We also caught this EVP after Zak asks 'Who scratched Nick?'."  
  
After listening to the Digital Recording, Debby turned and gave the analysis that shocked us all.  
  
"It says 'I want the girl'."  
  
"That's definitely a demonic entity. I would theorize that it attacked Nick because he protected Aura and it wanted her energy. Shoulders are often associated with support and nurturing others." Mark said.  
  
"Well, I did help her cope with her fears. She looked really afraid when we found her. I felt the same way when we investigated the Linda Vista Hospital, so I understood how she felt. That's why I helped her." Nick added.  
  
I smiled that he wanted to help me, feeling he did nurture me as a father would.  
  
"Yeah, I provoked the spirits earlier and I believe my provoking caused this to happen." Zak said, slightly guilty of bringing harm to his crew.  
  
"I actually don't mind that I was scared so bad," I spoke out and Zak turned to me.  
  
"Why is that?" he asked.  
  
"It gave you guys evidence and I think my discovery probably saved countless others from attacks or possessions."  
  
He nodded to my reasoning,  
  
"You should get someone to seal that portal as soon as you can." Mark suggested.  
  
"Yeah, we do." Zak replied.  
  
"Well, Debby and Mark. Once again, you guys helped us on another investigation and we hope to see you guys again soon. Thanks very much." We all shook their hands, happy that our findings truly were paranormal.  
  
Before we left, Zak had one last thing to say.  
  
"Aura, you definitely helped us out on this lockdown, so we have a few things for you…" Zak reached into his bag.  
  
"Something from each of us."  
  
I was surprised by this.  
  
"Here's a Nightvision Camera from Aaron, a Digital Recorder from Nick and a Ghost Adventures Crew T-shirt from me." Zak handed them to me, I was really impressed.  
  
"Wow, thanks guys."  
  
"That's not all…"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We've decided as a team to make you, our official Junior Paranormal Investigator."  
  
My jaw dropped, ecstatic with excitement.  
  
"Are you serious?!"  
  
"Totally serious." Zak replied.  
  
Everyone gave me a congratulatory hug.  
  
"Thanks so much, you guys." I wiped the tears of joy away from my eyes and still couldn't believe I'm now an official member of the Ghost Adventures Crew.  
  
Debby and Mark took a picture of me with the guys.  
  
"Now you'll have an even better story to tell back home." Aaron said.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"As our Junior Investigator, you'll get to do your own investigations at home and we'll be contacting you to join us on our lockdowns whenever we may need you." Zak assured.  
  
"Please do. This is awesome, thanks guys."  
  
It was the coolest moment of my life.  
\--------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Debby and Mark Constantino, you both will be missed.


	9. Chapter 9

Celebration with the GAC  
  
We left a while after our meeting, the guys treated me to a celebration lunch.  
  
Eating burgers at a local diner was my choice, it impressed the guys that I'm a burger girl.  
  
"I usually eat chicken, but burgers will do. I swear I'm a cheap date."  
  
All three of them laughed to my joke.  
  
"So am I," Nick added.  
  
"Yeah, I saw the Preston Castle vlog. Loved it, even the Bigfoot vlog was Laugh Out Loud funny."  
  
I chuckled to the hilarious memory.  
  
They laughed as they remembered the video,  
  
"It was fun to make." Aaron added.  
  
"Sure looked like it. My cousin and I make similar videos, which always makes us laugh especially when we mess up on camera." I smiled then bit a huge chunk out of my hamburger.  
  
"How did you find out about us? I mean-" Zak asked, but I answered quickly after finishing my food.  
  
"I saw the Poveglia episode back in November 2009 and kept watching since. I did get freaked out a few times, but I was happy to see that paranormal really does exist."  
  
I suddenly heard a familiar song on the radio behind us, hoisted on a shelf above the seats.  
  
"That's…Johanna. Bobby Mackey wrote that."  
  
"How'd you know?" Zak asked.  
  
"After watching Bobby Mackey's Music World, I decided to listen to the song. The story makes sense after I watched the episode, and the music itself sounds good. I can see why you guys like it, it's a nice song." I explained.  
  
"Zak and I listened to it for several years, it's nice to know that one of our fans like it, too." Nick said.  
  
"Cool." I said as we sat around the table, reflecting on the lockdown.  
  
"Halden Mansion, that's gonna be a popular one for you guys."  
  
"And for you, too." Zak replied.  
  
"Yeah." I grinned a smile,  
  
"I can't wait to see what everyone will think."  
  
"We'll definitely remember it for a long time." Zak replied and tended to his burger.  
  
"I will, too." I acknowledged the memories to come.  
\------  
  
After we finished our lunch, I still had a few hours before I needed to catch the bus back home, so I decided to hang with them for a while longer.  
  
We took a ride around town and stopped by a country-style market.  
  
We just walked around, enjoying the sunny skies, and luscious green landscape.  
  
Zak and Aaron were occupied with a booth full of Wild West style gear, looking for trigger objects for the next Western Style lockdown.  
  
Nick and I continued to walk the gravel road,  
  
"Nick, I wanted to thank you for helping me during the lockdown."  
  
"Oh, it's no problem." he replied.  
  
"I just hoped that you didn't feel awkward about me, being the way I was."  
  
"It's all right, really."  
  
I smiled and had one other thing on my mind,  
  
"As I watched the show, I came to admire you in a role model sort of way." I paused, I saw an expression of surprise rise in his face.  
  
"My father hasn't been around as often as he should've been."  
  
"Oh, how so? If you don't mind me asking…"  
  
I thought about it for a minute, figuring out how much to tell him since I don't usually speak out about my past.  
  
"I…don't know everything about what happened yet, but you help me feel better whenever I needed to be cheered up."  
  
"Well, I'm happy that I could be there for you."  
  
We suddenly heard rambunctious laughter, looked behind us and saw Zak and Aaron mimicking a Wild West draw.  
  
I nodded in disbelief, we chuckled as they continued to their fun.  
  
I looked up as he stood beside me.  
  
"Just thought I'd let you know that."  
  
He smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder, we decided to walk back to the booth to meet up with Zak and Aaron.  
\-----  
  
The guys gave me a ride to the closest Trailways bus station, the boarding call announced over the loud speaker so I turned back to them.  
  
"On my way back home."  
  
"Hope to see you again." Zak said with a smile.  
  
"Me, too." I nodded.  
  
Gave them each a friendly hug then grabbed my bags.  
  
Stepped up into the air-conditioned aisle and sat in window seat up front, waving farewell to them as the bus pulled away.  
  
I deeply hoped that one day, I will see them again.  
\----------


	10. Epilogue

_After the Lockdown…_  
  
The experiences I had Halden Mansion were truly something I'll remember for a long time. The Ghost Adventures Crew were great; not only were they doing a great job as Paranormal Investigators, but they were great people to hang out with.   
  
I knew that a lot of fans would be jealous that I had that chance to spend an entire lockdown with them and became their official Junior Paranormal Investigator. I felt the spirits' wrath while locked inside, but all I have to say is that no matter what occurred there, I was glad to do it with the best team.   
  
Now I will continue watching the show and keeping an eye on where they go, waiting and hoping for my next Ghost Adventures.


End file.
